FAITH CAPSULE:Jesus meant it when He said, “For everyone who asks receives”.

Mark 10:46-52

It is written, “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47) This act of Bartimaeus can be identified as seeking for Jesus to find him in his situation. He was seeking Him in a very unusual way by calling the name that is distinct and probably new to many, ‘Son of David’ a name that will easily call for Jesus’ attention to find him. It is seeking Him that will make Him to find who ever needs Him. Jesus knew what He was saying when He stated, “he who seeks finds” Bartimaeus sought the Lord.
In Bartimaeus attempt to have Jesus find him, he encountered opposition. Agents of opposition often show up to deny man from seeking so that finding can be unattainable. Instead of Bartimaeus giving up, he resolved to increase the intensity of his knocking to get an open door. The Bible recorded, “Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.”” (Mark 10:48-49) Crying out more is being persistent and it can be regarded as switching from seeking to knock on the door. That is what Bartimaeus did and the Bible testifies that Jesus responded to Bartimaeaus’s knocking when He stood still and commanded Bartimaeus to be called. Jesus’ request for Bartimaeus to come to His presence directly is an evidence of open door.
After having been able to seek and find Jesus; after having been able to knock and have the door opened, there is a need to know what to ask for. Bartimaeus sought Jesus for his need and found Jesus, he knocked on the door and Jesus called him to His presence (in the midst of great multitude—a blind man was called by Jesus). For Bartimaeus, the next agenda was asking. Jesus meant it when He said, “For everyone who asks receives”. While Bartimaeus was in the presence of Jesus, Jesus asked him “What do you want Me to do for you?” Jesus knew what his need was yet He asked. Jesus wanted him to ask. Just crying in the place of worship and not specifically stating one’s need is the evidence of not asking. Are you assuming that Jesus knows what you want or are you asking? He sure knows but He wants you to do what he commanded. He wants us to ask, seek and knock. Following His command is obedience, the evidence of faith. Do exactly what He says, be a believer of the word.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to know to ask and not to ask a miss.

FAITH CAPSULE: Are you giving thanks for all things or only things that you get the way you want it to be?

Luke 17:11-19

Are you one that is always caught up with thinking giving thanks or one that opens mouth wide giving thanks? Ones that know to think know to give thank. A mouth that is wide open giving thanks will experience God’s perfection of what He performed. A jealous God will always expect giving thanks and this is evident in the narration of Jesus and ten lepers that were healed. When ten lepers were healed, “…one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God.” (Luke 17:15) One leper’s return to give thanks with a loud voice prompted Jesus’ response, “Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:18-19) Only God knows how long the returned leper has been trusting God for his healing before Jesus spoke healing into his life. The important point here is that he was able to go back and offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Also, he was not thinking giving thanks in his heart but gave thanks with a loud voice. Jesus’ response testifies to the fact that He was waiting for the lepers to return for thanksgiving. Just as He waited for the leper to return for thanks giving, so He is waiting for us to return and give thanks. Return and do not wait until is too late to appreciate what He has done, what He is doing and all He will do.
Give thanks for daily and all year long prayer request manifestation. Have you been trusting God for any miracle that is yet in your hand? Provoke the hand of God by thanking Him expressively for the prayers that are not yet manifested. God performs in prayer and perfect in thanks giving. One leper went back to give thanks and Jesus added perfection to his healing deliverance. Consider this month your month of thanks giving and the coming month will become your month of manifestation. Thanking God before prayer manifestation is exercising faith to provoke God’s hand on your behalf. Give your all to God in praising and thanking God. Praising and giving thanks is attending to God. The antidote of jealousy is giving attention. Remember, God is a jealous God and getting Him to attend to you is inhabited in giving unto Him a ceaseless praise worship and consistent thanksgiving.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace of a heart that is rooted in appreciating God on a regular basis.  

FAITH CAPSULE: Why not praise rather than provoke Him by act of discouragement.

Psalm 100

God will not thank God neither will He praise Himself. The Bible makes us to realize by stating, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 150:6) He created us and gives us breath and that confirms that the purpose of our living is to praise God at all the time. As long as there is breath there should be non-stop praise worship. Praising God could be anywhere, anytime or in any situation. Psalmist testifies, “Seven times a day I will praise You…” Praising Him can never be too much. One can choose to praise Him loud or quiet as long as He is being praise with understanding. The understanding is that, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24) Praise God in spirit and it will provoke His presence to take over in every area of our challenge.
Praise is where God inhabits. (Psalm 22:3) Why not praise rather than probe Him by act of complain or murmuring? Why not praise rather than provoke Him by act of discouragement and putting on the garment of depression? Let all your actions be rooted in the flow of praise because God is a God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed. (1 Samuel 2:3)
There is power in praising God and praising God cannot be separated from thanking God. It is written, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (Psalm 100:4) The Bible talks about giving thanks always for all things, “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20) Are you giving thanks for all things or only things that you get the way you want it to be? Are you getting what you want and turning back to the giver without thanksgiving? Could it be that you are forgetting to give thanks where it is appropriate? Are you one that will wait to get what you want before giving thanks? The book of Romans states, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”(Romans 8:28) When there is love for God, there will be the understanding to thank God for all things. The one that thank God for all things will have all things work together for good. It is a great grace to sleep through the hours of night and wake up to the light of a new day. However, it is taking God for granted to see the light of a new day and not render unto God a hearty thanks giving offering.

Prayer Point: Ask God to enable your heart and become a heart of a worshipper.

FAITH CAPSULE: God expects us to love Him just as He loves us.

Joshua 1

To love God is to obey his commandments. Not to obey His commandments is the evidence of not having heard the word of His commands. Claiming to have heard and not do is not true because it is impossible to hear God and not do. He spoke the same word of command to bring forth creation and that makes it impossible for man to hear Him indeed and not be obedient. However, when we fail to read and observe God’s word we will likely fail to obey His commandments.
Many passages in the Bible repeatedly state the need to observe the word of God. Deuteronomy 28:13, “And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.”It is a conditional blessing of God for man to be the head and not be the tail and the condition is not in quoting the word as believers often do. One that loves God enough will heed to His word; will seek Him and to seek Him is to keep His word. The key to obedience here is to carefully observe the commandments. One that does not observe will not be able to obey because it is through observation the picture of the word becomes posted in the midst of heart to do. During the commissioning of Joshua, God specifically pointed out to Joshua all that it takes to prevail as the leader of His people. God commanded, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.”  According to God, meditation is what enables the ability to observe the word of God. Without meditation observing the word is impossible. To observe is to obey the word of God. Obeying the word of God is the evidence of love for God.
God expects us to love Him just as He loves us. In God’s love for us, he could not withhold from giving us His begotten son to us. Abraham proved to us that it is possible not to withhold from giving all to God. God has not asked us for what cannot be done. Take note that the blessing of God comes with condition but the love of God is without condition. Are you willing to love God? If you will begin to desire your love for God, He will deposit all that it takes for you to love Him. Love God and have life in Him.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace and strength which moves in man to constantly engage meditation.

FAITH CAPSULE: One cannot love God and not hate evil.

Genesis 39

Joseph’s demonstration of his love for God and his hate for evil also defines loving God. Joseph, from the pit to slavery had an opportunity to get a temporary breakthrough when he was in Potiphar’s house as a slave. He could have become the object of his master’s wife when she could not resist from asking Joseph to lie with her. Joseph’s excuse not to take on his master’s wife was, “…how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God.” (Genesis 39:9) Joseph was concerned about his love for God and refused to enter into a way that seemed right for breakthrough. Every time our love for God overrides our love for self, heaven would be provoked for our lifting up. For Joseph, favor could not depart from him because he loved His God and demonstrated His love for God by not giving in to Potiphar’s wife.
It is absolutely impossible to claim any love for God and not be a hater of evil acts. One cannot love God and not hate evil. In this world, wickedness is present all around us. Wickedness and evil go together hand in hand; the two cannot be separated from each other. If a believer should engage any wicked act or evil acts, it is an indication that such believer does not have God’s love dwelling on the inside of them. With love for God, evil act should always be approached with constant rebuke. The word of God buttress, Psalm 97:10, “You who love the Lord, hate evil!”  Proverbs 8:13, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” Romans 12:9, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.”  Are you an acclaimed believer that embraces any type of evil act consciously or unconsciously?
Loving God means loving your brother. The word of God helps us to realize that it is not possible to claim our love for God when we do not love our brother. It also pointed out that he who does not love does not know God. Above all, 1John 3:14 stated that, he who does not love his brother abides in death. In order to have life, loving God is a must not a choice. Loving God is not a temporary engagement but demands continuity.
Do you know God or do you know about God?  
The knowledge of God is to love and know Him. It is not possible to love Him which you do not know. Loving God cannot happen without knowing God. Spending time in the word of God is the major route to knowing Him.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace to love Him with all your heart.